A Birth Story

 

My beautiful friend (and one of my best!) is one of the neatest I know.  Abbie and Jon welcomed their beautiful addition to their family a few months ago, and I was lucky enough to capture some of the details.  Here are a few shots from the day after little M was born. 

Aren't they all extremely good looking?

Disney In January

We have a confession.  We get antsy for a "Disney Fix" about every 6 months.  So when TT graduated in December, it was only natural to celebrate in Disneyland.  We picked a few days in January and escaped to the happiest place on earth.  There was a little bit of drama making it to California, after we had boarded two separate planes and eventually de-planed them, we were able to make last minute arrangements on our final try.  Once we made it, everything was awesome.  I devoured lots of pickles, Thayne enjoyed a Pineapple Dole Whip or two, and we dedicated some serious time to mastering Midway Mania and Astro Blasters scores.  We were lucky enough to be in Cali the same time my sister and her fam were, which meant I could enjoy a few snacks and rides with the most loyal Disney fans around.  

We booked the trip right after we found out we were pregnant, and I looked forward to refraining from rides and instead taking my camera out to enjoy some time to capture the details that make Disney, well, Disney!

Little miss Minnie.  Oh the details!

 Tomorrow Land.  Home of TT's high score at Astro Blasters. For the record 1,200,000.

 I'm going to go ahead and say Worlds Best Corn Dog. 

 The darling shops on Main Street never get old.  Especially the candy one.

 Why is Mr. Toad's Wild ride ALWAYS crowded?  I don't get it.

 Storybook Land.

 I hate this ride, but I'll ride it with my nieces because they love it so much.

So much Disney magic happening at all hours of the day.
Walt and Mickey.

I got some really good grapes from this Market, while TT rode Indiana Jones for both of us.

Directly below this sign is one of my favorite little shops in Disney.  Usually where my dad scoops us up a hoody or two!

Donald.  Apparently he doesn't show himself as much as the other characters do.  So when you see him, you take advantage!

 Our view from the Ferris Wheel.  Our stomachs felt slightly off on this ride.

 Playing games along the Pier in California Adventure.

And a few snapshots from the trusty iPhone:

 Headed to breakfast with the characters at Carnation Cafe.

 A first for us:  We rode the Disney Ferris Wheel in California Adventure.  It was high.  We were scared.

 I had a pickle everyday.  I looked forward to them everyday.

We also spent some time (and money) playing the fun boardwalk games.  We came away with a few prizes for our little babe.

We love you Disney!

I Paint My Nails.

 Gelish- Midnight Caller w/ Crown Jewels, and Gelish- Bella's Vampire w/ Crown Jewels

Gelish Neon Yellow

Gelish - A Petal For Your Thoughts w/ Gold Glitter on top.  I call them Fire Nails.

I'm on a nail kick.  I love painting my nails.  And I the whole gel nail thing is really trendy, and so I guess I am too, because that's what these are.  I want every Gelish color Gelish offers.  Painting my nails has turned into a relaxing activity.  And sadly I love peeling them off probably more than I love painting them!  Someone teach me how to manage my cuticles.  They need help.

Life is always better with cookies.

 I've been on a cookie kick lately.  Cookies are dangerous around here.  I can't be trusted with more than a few.  I found a delicious recipe for browned butter chocolate chip cookies and decided to give them a try.  Who doesn't love browned butter? 

Ultra Delicious Brown Butter Oat Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maybe a little more if you're in a high altitude)

3/4 cups rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used less than 1/2 a teaspoon)

1 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes.  I love a gooey gooey cookie.

In a saucepan melt the butter until brown.  I was watching mine and noticed it kind of went from yellow to a green and eventually to brown and there are some bubbles.  As it turns brown, you can remove it from the heat but still continue to stir for about a minute.   Put the butter aside and let it cool.  I am impatient and put the butter in the fridge trying to get it to cool faster.  

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and mix in the oats.  With the cooled butter mix the sugars, egg, vanilla, and add to dry mix.  One of the most frustrating parts of baking in my own experience is when dough seems too dry.  You can add some milk to help it come together, although a little goes a long way! Mix in the chocolate and have some chips for yourself.

wee ones

Last weekend we went to a baby shower for our good friends.  The invite requested that everyone bring a baby picture of themselves for a game, so we dug up these baby pictures (and a lot more!).  I can't wait to sift through the rest, and scan them in to keep digital copies.  I feel like I just added a new photo/scan/storage project on my list of things I'd like to get to. How nice would it be to have all our old photos on a hard drive?  I'm just thinking out loud.

 Here I am hanging out at Grandma D's house. 

And here's TT sitting on Grandpa Marloe's lap... I mean Santa's lap.  

I can't stop looking at all of Thayne's baby photos and school pictures.  He is a total stud from day one.

clothes for baby

I think it's a little obvious we're excited for baby boy to come in August.  I love coming home to little packages and new baby additions to the house.  I've done a little shopping, and Thayne's done a little shopping.  Can you tell who picked what ;) ?